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CONCORD, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) A Keene man admitted in federal court Thursday to his involvement in the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material, authorities said.
Paul Baird, 44, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the production of child pornography. He is set to be sentenced on June 25, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison, with a maximum possible sentence of 30 years.
Court records show that on January 29, 2024, Baird took explicit images of a minor and uploaded them to a website known for child exploitation content. Investigators later found additional illegal materials on his phone.
At the time of his arrest, Baird was employed as a bus driver for Student Transportation of America, a company that serves the Contoocook Valley (ConVal) School District, according to officials.
Baird’s wife, Krystal, was also charged with the production of child sexual abuse material. The couple was arrested almost exactly one year ago.
According to an affidavit filed in federal court in Concord, a Special Agent with the US Department of Homeland Security said that while undercover on the website she discovered sexually explicit images of a man and a young girl. The images were traced to a residence in Keene and connected to Paul as the likely source.
The agent went on to say that Krystal admitted to investigators that she took two of the photos mentioned in the affidavit. She said the third was taken by Paul. She claims that she initially refused to take the photos, but eventually did so to avoid making Paul mad.
She has not yet entered a plea.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Keene Police Department. The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative to combat child exploitation.
Read previous stories about the case: